Quite an impressive mouth on this Amazon Horned Frog huh?
However, the first thing that anyone notices about the Amazon Horned
Frog, shockingly, isn’t the horns it’s the incredible size of them, as it grows
to be about 8 inches long and their
rotund bodies will easily cover a plate, as they also grow round as well as
long.
Who
am I?
Amazon Horned Frog, scientific name Ceratophrys cornuta, is an ambush
predator. It can squeeze its fat body into the forest substrate or into the
leaf litter on the bottom of the forest floor, so that only the head shows.
When anything that is smaller than their own body happens by, they will
instantly grasp it in very sharp teeth lock it into their jaws and swallow it
whole, after springing from the mud with a giant leap.
What
I Loves to Eat?
The Horned Frogs gain an enormous girth by being
completely indiscriminate about what they eat, and by eating everything they can catch, which is a great deal. Their
ravenous appetite and huge mouths have earned them and other horned frogs the
pet-trade nickname "Pac Man frogs."
As an indiscriminate eaters, Amazon horned frogs
can grow to about the size of a small plate.
Where
do I Stay?
They are found in freshwater marshes and pools
throughout the Amazon Basin, from Colombia to Brazil.
My
Identity?
Amazon Horned Frogs are aggressive and extremely
territorial, viciously defending their personal territory and they are nothing
if not voracious in their appetites. Some Horned frogs have been found dead
with the remains of an animal it was impossible for them to swallow still
sticking out from their jaws, that were clasped around it, and many times they
attempt to swallow something at least as large as they are, and being unable to
swallow, or to let go of it, both become victims to the Horned frogs greed.
Females are generally larger than males, but
males are more ornately colored, ranging from dark green to lime-colored.
Females are usually tan. Scientists are unsure what purpose their namesake
horns serve, but it is likely they aid in camouflage, resembling leaf stems in
the wild.
Fast Facts
Type: Amphibian
Diet: Carnivore
Size: 4 to 6 in (10 to 15 cm)
Weight: Up to 1 lb (480
g)
Did you know? Some Amazon
villagers wear high leather boots called botas escuerzas to repel attacks by
the highly territorial Amazon horned frog.
Size relative to a tea cup: Video: How good is a Pacman Frog's camouflage??
àClick the video below for the answer!!